Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Dolphins may get well fast

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Oct. 18, 2002 | 9:59 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4076.

If I were the trainer for the Miami Dolphins, I'd show Jay Fiedler something before he gets surgery on his thumb, which he injured in the fourth quarter of Miami's fantastic come-from-behind win against Denver last Sunday.

So, too, would I have something to offer wide receiver Chris Chambers to help him heal from the concussion he suffered last week.

But I'm not referring to pain relievers, ointments, soft casts or the usual magic that seems to get players back on the field with minimal recovery time.

I'd just show them a copy of the schedule.

You see, Miami plays host to the league's biggest defensive sieve this week, the Buffalo Bills.

Let's just say that if Bills legend O.J. Simpson was relying on this defense, he'd be wearing blue every day. That's not to say Johnnie Cochran couldn't play cornerback for this club, mind you.

In politically correct terms, Buffalo is point-prevention challenged. The Bills allow a staggering 34 points per game. That projects to 544 over a 16-game season.

It gets scarier when you look at the Bills' opponents. Houston, an offensive jugger-not, scored 24 points Sunday against Buffalo. The Texans had scored only 42 points in their first four games. And that was Buffalo's best defensive effort in 2002.

The Jets scored 37 against the Bills in the season opener, and scored a combined 13 in their following three games.

Surprisingly, though, the Bills are still facing a strong challenge from Kansas City, gracious givers of 193 points thus far. If not for allowing a stingy 23 against Jacksonville and 25 against the Jets, the Chiefs might actually be worse.

The Chiefs and Bills are also 1-2 in points scored in the NFL, which explains how each has mustered a 3-3 record.

The league already has ordered backup scoreboard operators for the Nov. 17 game between the Bills and Chiefs. If the numbers hold true, the over-under on that game should be 66 1/2, based on each team's average combined points scored and points allowed.

And I'd be hard-pressed to take the under.

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